Separation from God

Sometimes God’s children walk through the desert.
The Israelites wandered through the desert for 40 years.
Sometimes it’s simply difficult to feel His presence.

Jesus Himself said that we’d experience tribulation.
(See John 16:33)

But there’s a difference is simply walking through a cloudy day
and in experiencing genuine separation from God Himself.

There’s only one thing that can separate us from God:

SIN.

It’s a given.
It’s automatic.
It’s a fact.

Sin will always separate us from God.

Check this out:

“Listen now! The Lord isn’t too weak to save you.
And he isn’t getting deaf! He can hear you when you call!
But the trouble is that your sins have cut you off from God.
“. . . You lie and grumble and oppose the good.
You cheat and shortchange everyone. . . .
“   It is because of all this evil that you aren’t finding God’s
blessings. No wonder you are in darkness when you expected
light. No wonder you are walking in the gloom”
(Isaiah 59:1-9 The Living Bible).

(I didn’t list the entire passage here.)

When you feel distanced from God, pray Psalm 139:23-24:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes
you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (TLB).

After praying the above passage, listen and watch for God to reveal
something to you. When He does, confess that and commit it to Him.

If He doesn’t reveal anything specific to you, ask Him to fill you with
His peace and to deepen your faith to continue trusting Him in the
midst of walking though a temporary desert.

Thoughts?

For those of you who are memorizing Scripture with me this year,
let’s tackle 2 Timothy 1:12 this week. Here it is from the NIV:

“Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have
believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have
entrusted to him for that day.”